Saint Luke Ev. Lutheran Church of Watertown

Sermon delivered by Pastor Anthony E. Schultz

Lent 4. March 30, 2003 Numbers 21:4-9

They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!” Then the LORD sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke against the LORD and against you. Pray that the LORD will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. The LORD said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived.

Dear people of God—rescued from the flaming lake of fire in hell by the innocent blood of the very Lamb of God:

Have you watched the war lately? Have you seen the painful pictures of little children cautiously walking up to soldiers holding huge automatic weapons—reaching out timidly to get a chocolate candy bar—then running away holding their newly gained treasure in both hands? Have you seen the painful pictures of the prisoners of war—with blackened wounds on their faces—the fear in their eyes that their mother can see? Have you seen the painful pictures of soldiers’ bodies beside their burned out vehicles? Those soldiers might have died in combat—and then again—they may have been executed—murdered—when they climbed out of their trucks—trying to surrender. And in the final analysis—does it really matter to their grieving family? It doesn’t—because their son is lost! Do we sit on our overstuffed couches—our feet propped up—eating microwaved popcorn and ice-cold soda and complain? Do we complain that it’s too rainy—too cold and damp? Do we complain that it’s not warm enough or sunny enough? Do we complain that we work too hard and don’t get paid nearly what we are worth? Do we complain about the uncertainty of everything—the uncertainty of our job—our wobbly health—the economy that isn’t picking up and recovering? Do we grumble and complain about just about everything? Today—this 4^th Sunday in the repentant season of Lent—God’s Word reminds us what a serious business complaining is! This morning God’s Word says:

Complain! Complain! Complain!

1. Be content with what the LORD provides, and

2. Trust in his healing forgiveness.

The part of God’s Word we are concentrating on this morning—is part of the 4^th book of Moses—the book of Numbers. Numbers begins with a census—a counting of the men 20 years old and older—old enough to serve in the army of the LORD. There were 603,550 men in this army of the Great I AM—the Holy One of Israel. Our God is a God of order. There would be order as God’s people marched from the base of Mt. Sinai—through the wilderness to the land that would literally flow with milk and honey! 38 years later God’s people would be counted again—the army counted again. This time there would be 601,730 men—a whole new army. A whole new army because the first army had doubted. The first army had been afraid to inherit the land—because they thought the people who were already lived there were giants! And the people of God considered themselves like ants and grasshoppers—sure to be crushed. Only Joshua and Caleb—by grace alone trusted the LORD—and by grace alone would inherit the Promised Land! There were now more than 2 million children of Israel—about to inherit all the LORD had promised.

It is always important—when you study God’s Word—to understand the context—what is going on. Bible history is a mural—the broad sweep of law and Gospel—the LORD powerful to bring glory to his saving reputation. Bible history is not dusty little clay jars and rusty pieces of weapons—each in its own little glass case down some dim hallway in a museum. In the chapter before the one we are concentrating on—God’s people entered the Desert of Zin. There Miriam—Moses sister died and was buried. Numbers 20:1b Again God’s people grumbled and complained bitterly. They quarreled with Moses and said, “If only we had died when our brothers fell dead before the LORD! Why did you bring the LORD’s community into this desert, that we and our livestock should die here? Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible place? It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates. And there is no water to drink!” Numbers 20:3-5 How sad! How sinful and how wrong—to grumble and complain—not against Moses—but against the LORD—their Heavenly Father! Moses and Aaron went from the assembly to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and fell facedown, and the glory of the LORD appeared to them. Numbers 20:6,7 This is no small thing—the glory of the LORD—the bright and blinding light—that is the presence of the LORD with his people! The LORD told Moses—talk to the rock—and water will come gushing forth—enough to water 2 million people plus—all their livestock—their sheep and goats and camels and cows! Moses gathered God’s people in front of the rock and said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?” Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank. But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.” Numbers 20:10b-12 So Moses himself will not enter the Promised Land. The speed bumps are not done! Moses sends word to the king of Edom that the Children of Israel need to pass through Edom to enter their new homeland. But the King of Edom—the ruler of the descendants of Esau—Jacob’s brother—says “You may not pass through here; if you try, we will march out and attack you with the sword.” They will have to go around—the long way—around!

Israel camps by Mount Hor—when the LORD says—Get Aaron and his son Eleazar and take them up Mount Hor. Remove Aaron’s garments and put them on his son Eleazar, for Aaron will be gathered to his people; he will die there.” Imagine doing that! Take your brother’s garments—his high priestly robes—and put them on your nephew—and then watch as your brother dies! How hard is that! And the troubles aren’t over yet. The Canaanite king of Arad—who lived in the Negev—the wilderness—heard that Israel was coming along the road—he attacked the Israelites and captured some of them. Then Israel made this vow to the LORD: “If you deliver these people into our hands, we will totally destroy their cities.” The LORD listened to Israel’s plea and gave the Canaanites over to them. They completely destroyed them and their towns… That’s the context. That’s what’s been going on recently—when we read-they traveled from Mount Hor—where Aaron died—along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom—because the children of Esau wouldn’t let them pass through.

But the people grew impatient on the way; they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!” The people grew impatient—literally in the Hebrew—their souls grew short. They got crabby! They got cranky! Like little children tired of riding in the car—whining from the back seat—“Are we there yet?” Why have you brought us up out of Egypt—to die? These people of God who were so discouraged needed to know the Word of God the prophet Jeremiah would write down for discouraged people hundreds of years later. “I know the plans I have for you”, declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with your heart.” Jeremiah 29:11-13

The people complained, “There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!” Complain! Complain! Complain! They had bread. They had water. They had honey flakes of bread from heaven—free every morning—6 days a week from their Heavenly Father. But they made fun of the food! They said, “We detest these army rations!”—like the LORD was giving them the bread and water that barely sustains life! Did you ever do that—complain about the food? Did you ever make fun of your food? Do we understand what is wrong with saying, “Come, Lord Jesus, be our Guest—and let these gifts to us be blest…O give thanks unto the LORD for he is good—for his mercy endures forever. Amen!” And then to push out food around the plate with our fork—and say insulting things about it? We have so much food in this country. We went upstairs and looked just in the door of our refrigerator. We have butter—sweet creamery Wisconsin butter in a little plastic house so it stays fresh and sweet. We have some buttery spread—too—that the doctor said was good for watching your cholesterol. We have eggs in the door—big white chicken eggs—you can buy them by the dozen—all the same size—large—extra large—huge eggs. We have most of a bottle of blackberry Merlot—sweet and just a little fizzy. We have salad dressings—creamy ranch, Thousand Island, French. We have A-1 Steak Sauce that goes good on a rib eye steak. We have Wostershire Sauce—that goes to make this really good barbecue sauce. We have barbecue sauce too—that you can spread on pork chops on the grill. We have mustard—fancy mustard that’s really tangy on a nice Sheboygan bratwurst. We have catsup that is great for dipping French fries. We have more stuff than that—just in the door of our refrigerator. To grumble and complain about our food—when we have so much just in the door isn’t just wrong. It’s a sin! It’s a sin to make fun of your food. It’s a sin to waste food. It’s a sin—because the one we are really complaining about is our Heavenly Father!

The children of Israel grumbled and complained. Their complaint was in fact an attack on God’s grace and God’s goodness. Then the LORD sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke against the LORD and against you. Pray that the LORD will take the snakes away from us. So Moses prayed for the people. This grumbling and complaining was no joke. It was sin plain and ugly. It was sin and God reminded his people—the wages of sin is death! The wages of sin is death—but the gift of God is eternal life—by grace through faith. The LORD said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” Here was the prequel—the shadow—the promise—that one day the Son of God would be lifted up on a tree—and all who look to him in faith will be saved from the forever venom of Satan and sin!

When anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived. Have you watched the war—watched it on TV? If you really watch it—I believe—it changes you! I saw a British soldier with his helmet on. He put his finger into the bullet holes in his helmet—4 bullet holes in his helmet. The bullets didn’t penetrate the helmet—they stopped part way through the Kevlar—the bullet resistant material of his helmet. I saw a picture of a Marine—carrying a wounded Iraqi soldier—carrying his enemy on his back and shoulders—hurrying to get him medical attention for his wounds. I saw wounded American soldiers—saying they saw the rocket coming toward their truck. How they thought for a moment—I am going to die! But they didn’t. They were just terribly wounded. They said of the one with the most critical wounds—chances are he will never walk again! Again—it’s hard to just sit there—on your over stuffed daddy chair and watch that—and then complain? Where’s my diet soda with cubed ice and chipped ice from the refrigerator door? Where’s my micro-waved snacks—my corn chips that won’t break and my salsa? Where is my remote control—a zillion channels and nothing on? Where is my DVD full screen or wide screen? Complain! Complain! Complain! It is sinful and hurtful and wrong to grumble and complain. It is by grace alone that the LORD has not sent poisonous snakes among us as we deserve. The LORD instead continues to provide for us. Let us thank and praise him. Let us be content. Let us trust in his healing forgiveness in Christ Jesus. Amen! To God alone all glory!